El Burhan urges all parties in Sudan to embrace AU-IGAD-UN Trilateral Mechanism dialogue

The President of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, has called on all parties in Sudan to engage in the efforts of the AU-IGAD-UN Trilateral Mechanism* and international partners. In an address to the Sudanese nation on Tuesday evening, Gen El Burhan affirmed his commitment to work with all components of the Sudanese people in order to ensure the realisation of their dreams and aspirations in building a state of democracy and dignity and the state of freedom, peace, and justice.

He said that in response to the demands of the stage, most national forces have responded to the call for dialogue facilitated by the AU-IGAD-UN Trilateral Mechanism, launched on May 12, which is due to start today.

In his address, Gen El Burhan pointed out that the country is going through a transitional phase, which is witnessing the lack of consensus, a matter which threatens the security and safety of the homeland and the citizen, adding that this situation has prompted many of the country’s people and its various entities, sensing the imminent dangers, to present initiatives and propose treatments and solutions that restore the state’s cohesion and reassure the souls of its people.

Gen El Burhan stressed that the military component “has pledged since April 2019 to work with all components of the Sudanese people in order to ensure the realisation of their dreams and aspirations in building a state of democracy and dignity, a state of freedom, peace, and justice”.

He affirmed the military component’s full commitment to work with everyone so as to bring the transitional phase to an end as soon as possible, which is the free and transparent elections in which the people will choose who governs them, and in order to achieve this goal the military component has accepted, agreed and supported and will continue to support the process called for by the tripartite mechanism with the hope to reach an end on which all the people will agree on what preserves the security of the country and relieves the people of what has befallen them during the past three years in which they have been patient and sacrificed, with the most precious possessions of their youth and effort, without achieving their goal, but rather, their suffering has increased and their wounds deepened.

Gen El Burhan asserted that the dialogue that will start today (Wednesday), provides a historic opportunity to complete the transitional phase so that it can proceed according to the aspirations of the Sudanese people, therefore, it is hoped that the various components involved in this dialogue shall take the initiative to respond and not to block the way for achieving the transition and democratic transformation.

Gen El Burhan pointed out that the military and security component, based on its belief in democratic transformation, renews its commitment to work to implement the outcomes of the dialogue and affirms in advance its keenness to distance the military institution from the political battlefield, as soon as the requirements for this are met, namely the national consensus facilitated by the tripartite mechanism or the elections, which are the legitimate tool for the transfer of power.

He expressed thanks to the friends of Sudan who support the transition and the completion of the democratic transition, especially the friends and neighbouring countries that stood alongside the people of Sudan, the tripartite mechanism and all those who contributed to the process of transition leading to a state of freedom, peace and justice.

US Assistant Secretary of State

The officla Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports that US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Molly Phee, who is currently visiting Sudan, met on Monday with the Sudanese military committee, consisting of the Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council, Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemeti’, Lt Gen Shamseldin Kabbashi, and Lt Gen Ibrahim Jaber, in the presence of the Saudi Ambassador to Sudan Ali Bin Hassan Bin Jaafar.

The meeting discussed the latest arrangements for the direct Sudanese dialogue process, while the military committee affirmed its full support for the efforts facilitated by the AU-IGAD-UN Trilateral Mechanism for dialogue between the Sudanese parties and working to make it a success.

Dialogue

The trilateral mechanism has invited 10 political parties and groups to participate. The National Accord Forces, the Federalist Party and a number of other parties announced their participation in the dialogue, while the Forces for Freedom and Change factions announced a boycott of the session’s activities because “it will not lead to an end to the coup”.

The Communist Party of Sudan, the Sudanese Professionals Association, the Sudanese Resistance Committees, and a number of women’s groups reportedly did not receive an invitation.

The Sudanese Resistance Committee yesterday tweeted its position on the ‘direct political dialogue’ between the junta and a number of political groups.

Mohamed Taher, a leading member of the Omdurman Resistance Committees, told Sudan24 satellite channel yesterday that the initiative “intends to forcefully engage the Sudanese people in a dialogue instead of searching for a political solution”.

“The international community should base its position on the standpoints of the Sudanese, instead of the people basing their position on the standpoints of the international community,” he said.

“And unfortunately, many political parties look at the crisis in the country from the view of the international community. They say that if the international community will restore sanctions on Sudan on June 15, let’s agree on a political accord as soon as possible.

“The international community should instead look at what the Sudanese people want. They call for a reversal of the October 25 coup and the putschists to be brought to justice. All their life, Sudanese are making concessions toward the military, for the 1964 coup d’état onward, to agree on a quick accord with arguments to stop bloodshed or collapse of the country. The question is: When will the military do concessions to the Sudanese people?”

*The AU-IGAD-UNITAMS Trilateral Mechanism, launched on May 12, has been established to support Sudan through the next phase of the political process, to facilitate a Sudanese-led political process with the aim of restoring a civilian-led transition to democracy.

(Sources: RD / SUNA)